Process and apparatus for treating threads in tubes



Nov. 29, 1955 H. P. RlLLlNG ET AL 2,725,277

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING THREADS IN TUBES Filed Dec. 9, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet l I NVENTORS 0 Olaf/es f/y/cfia/ ATTORNEY Nov. 29, 1955 H. P. RlLLlNG ET AL 2,725,277

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING THREADS IN TUBES Filed Dec. 9, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I I l mumm %ORNEY Nov. 29, 1955 H. P. RlLLlNG ET AL PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING THREADS IN TUBES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 9, 1952 BY ATTORNEY Nov. 29, 1955 H. P. RILLING ET AL 2,725,277

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR TREATING THREADS IN TUBES I Filed Dec. 9, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS BY yaw I ATTORNEY United States Patent PROCESS The present invention relates to the manufacture of threads, tows, and the like, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for the continuous aftertreatment of freshly spun composite threads formed from viscose rayon.

In application Serial Number 122,560, filed October 20, 1949, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, there is described a system for propelling threads through tubes with treating liquids, the liquids being the sole force causing thread movement. In that system each thread is passed through individual tubes arranged in a cradle and'treated in sequence with different treating liquids in some of the tubes. The liquid therefore has to be recovered separately.

The present invention is concerned primarily with the extrusion of a plurality of threads which are then combined to form a tow and aftertreated in tubes. Several such tows are passed in parallel through tubes also in parallel and treated with liquid of the same composition. In this way the. exhaust liquid from each tube can be permitted to commingle with the liquid of other tubes and can be recovered at a common point. The further treatments are effected in a similar manner.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a process and apparatus for the continuous aftertreatment of composite threads or tows in parallel in a plurality of tubes. 1

It is a further object to provide improved details for automatically initially introducing the tow into and through the tubes and for diverting the exhaust liquid to a common point for recovery while providing liquid stripping means between the point at which the tow issues from one tube and the point where it enters the next succeeding tube.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings; wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a two-sided spinning machine showing also the aftertreatment of several tows at a first station;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating the thread feeding-in mechanism of the apparatus of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a detailed sectional view showing the relative position of the parts during the introduction of the tow from one tube to the next;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the relative position of the parts after the treating operations have commenced and the liquid is diverted to a point of recovery, the stripping guide being shown in operative position; I

Figure 5 is a detailed perspective view of a portion of one aftertreating station including the trough actuating mechanism;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the apparatus for performing the final stages of aftertreatment showing several tows combined, squeezed, dried and collected in a container; and

Figure 7 is a view in detail of the squeezing apparatus bath 11 in the conventional manner, and then upwardly to be combined with other threads and propelled by master godet 14. The resulting composite thread unit or tow 15, is next subjected to the action of a regenerating bath 16, and led around a second master godet 17 rotating at a higher peripheral speed than godet 14 in order to impart the required stretch. During the spinning-in operation, when the propulsion efiect of the aftertreating liquid is not yet felt, the tow 15 is fed through waste rollers 18 and 19 which function to maintain the thread moving continuously. However, after the spinning-in operation is completed, roller 18 is moved upwardly to the dotted line position and the tow assumes a position as shown between rollers 18' and 19 of the back of the machine, i. e., out ofcontact with both rollers.

Tow 15 is routed around pulley 20 to a guiding roller 21 and thence to the first aftertreating station generally indicated at 22. Roller 21 is relatively long to accommodate several similar tows 23 that have been initially spun and treated in the same manner as tow 15, but in different spinning baths.

The spinning-in of the tows can be understood by reference to Figure 2 in which the operations involving two tows 15 and 23 are shown. When tows 15 and 23 are initially introduced into their respective parallel tubes at the first treating station 22, water or other liquid is supplied through conduit 24 to branch lines 25 and 26 respectively, and flows outwardly and downwardly through tubes 27 and 28 which are combined spigots and guides for the tows. Adjustment of the position of the tubes is effected by set screws 29.

As the tows are directed over roller 21, they fall into channel portions of the tubes 27 and 28 and the water cascading therein carries the tows into troughs 30 and 31 disposed vertically below their respective tubes. (See Figure 2.) Liquid under pressure is forced through jet 32 into intersecting relation with the tows and water flowing from the troughs 30 and 31 and thereby entrains the tows and propels them into tubes 33 and 34. When this operation has been completed, the water from conduit 24 can be cut off.

After the tows have been propelled through the parallel tubes at a station such as 22, they are successively passed to the required number of additional treating stations and fed through their respective tubes in a manner similar to that shown in Figure 3. Tow 35 is ejected from tube 36 and is conveyed by liquid 3'7 to trough 38, the lower end of which is adjacent the entrance of the next succeeding treating tube 39. The particular design of tube 36 constitutes the subject matter of copending application Serial Number 337,929, filed February 20, 1953, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. As tow 35 leaves trough 38, it is entrained by the stream of liquid issuing from jet 40 which is in alignment with tube 39. This jet of liquid propels tow35 into and through tube 39 and thence to the next treating station.

During the feeding-in operation, the exhaust liquid 37 at each station flows across the entrance of the treating tubes directing the tows to the next station and is allowed to pass through drain 41 to a waste receptacle.

When the tows are completely threaded through all of the treating tubes, the troughs .Sflwhich are slidably supported in slotted guideways 42 and 43 are shifted laterally from beneath their respective tubes 36 by means of spacer plates 44 rigidly mounted on a bar 45 between each pair of troughs 38. (See Figure 5.) The particular design of trough 38 constitutes the subject matter of co-pending application Serial No. 341,529, filed March 10, 1953, and assigned to the same assignee as the present application. Then L-shaped stripping guides 46 mounted on bar 47 are moved into the position shown in Figure 4 whereby "ice the horizontal portion of the guides 46 passes in contact under the respective tows 35 to remove the major portion of the liquid. It will be noted that in this position substantially all of the exhaust liquid 37 from tubes 36 is being directed into compartment 48 whereby it can be recovered by any suitable means as it is exhausted from a common drain 49.

Since each receptacle 22 serves a plurality of groups of tubes, it is apparent that the exhaust drains 41 and 49, on opposite sides of the partition 43, serve a large number of tubes in common. In other words, all of the tubes 36 discharging into the box shown in Figures 3 and 4 can be drained through a single outlet 41 or 49 oneither side of the partition depending upon the position of the defiectors 38.

After the tows 50 have been treated in'the tubes with the proper liquids, they are brought together between guides 51 and passed through squeeze rollers 52 (see Figure 7) to remove most of the liquid. The heavy tow 52 in' the formof a band is finally dried on a series of heated, offset rollers generally indicated at 53, passed between crimping rolls 54 to impart a slight crimp and collected in a container 55, the rows being laid by means of a traversing mechanism 56. The crimping facilitates arranging of the layers of tow without undue packing.

Thread unit as used herein is intended to define a thread or group of threads treated as a single unit.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for the continuous aftertreatment of threads'and the like which comprises a series of treating stations for aftertreating several such tows, each station comprising several parallel tubes disposed in tandem relation with respect to the tubes in the other stations to accommodate the tows, means to initially feed the tows in parallel through the tubes at each treating station and to continue the proplusion thereof from station to station including means for directing egress liquid flowing from each tube across the entrance of the'succeeding tube and jet means to supply the same treating liquid to the tubes at each station and to propel the tows through their respective tubes, means for isolating the egress liquid of each tube from the entrance of the corresponding" tube in the succeeding station and means for directing the egress liquid from all of the tubes at each station to a common point for collection.

2. In tube spinning apparatus, a receptacle, means subdividing said receptacle into two compartments, a plurality of aftertreating tubes having their entry ends in one of said compartments, liquid flow directing means to introduce a' plurality of thread units into the other of said compartments, means movable to and from a position carrying each thread unit from the compartment into which it is introduced to the spinning tube entry end of the other compartment, and means to recover all of the thread introducing, liquid in the compartment separate from that in which said tube entry ends are located.

3. In tube spinning apparatus, a plurality of tubes arranged in groups through which a plurality of threads are successively passed to be aftertreated, a receptacle, a partition dividing said receptacle into two parts, the exit ends of the tubes of one group being located to discharge into one of said parts, the entry ends of the tubes of the next succeeding group being located in the other of said parts, deflector means establishing a thread and liquid flow path between said exit ends and said entry ends, across said partition, means to move said deflector means away from thread and liquid flow establishing position and a drain from said receptacle on each side of said partition.

4. In tube spinning apparatus, a plurality of tubes arranged in groups of equal number through which tubes at number of thread units equal to the number of tubes of a group are passed for concurrent aftertreatment, a receptacle, a partition dividing said receptacle into two parts, the exit ends of the tubes of one group being located to discharge into one of said parts, the entry ends of the tubes of the next succeeding group being located in the other of said parts, a deflector establishing a separate 4 thread and liquid flow path between each said exit end and each said entry end and means mounted on said receptacle for simultaneously laterally shifting said deflectors toward and away from thread and liquid flow establishing position and a drain from said receptacle on each side of said position.

5. In tube spinning apparatus, a plurality of tubes arranged in groups of equal number through which tubes a number of thread units equal to the number of tubes of a group are passed for concurrent aftertreatrnent, a receptacle, a partition dividing said receptacle into two parts, the exit ends of the tubes of one group being located to discharge into one of said parts, the entry ends of the tubes of the next succeeding group being located in the other of said parts, deflectors, means mounting said deflectors for lateral movement along said receptacle to and from a position establishing flow between a tube exit end and a tube entry end, means common to all said deflectors for laterally moving them and a drain on either side of said partition.

6. In tube spinning apparatus, a first group of treating tubes, a receptacle, means dividing said receptacle into two compartments, the thread entry ends of said first group of tubes lying in one of said compartments, a second group of treating tubes located to discharge into the other of said compartments, and moveable deflecting means for simultaneously establishing or simultaneously disestablishing a thread and liquid fiow path between each of said second group of tubes and the corresponding tube of said first group of tubes.

7. A process for aftertreating tow which comprises passing a first set of a plurality of substantially parallel liquid streams through a first set of separate confined liquid treating zones, passing a second set of an equal number of substantially parallel liquid streams through a second set of separate confined liquid treating zones in non-axial alignment with said first set of zones and in substantially tandem relation thereto, directing egress liquid from each zone in said first set across the entrance of the corresponding zone in the second set, propelling a tow through each zone in said first set and then through the corresponding zone in said second set by jetting a liquid into each zone of each set, and thereafter directing egress liquid flowing from each zone in said first set into a common body of liquid.

8. A process for aftertreating tow which comprises passing a first set of a plurality of substantially parallel liquid streams through a first set of separate confined liquid treating zones, passing a second set of an equal number of substantially parallel liquid streams through a second set of separate confined liquid treating zones in non-axial alignment with said first set' of zones and in substantially tandem relation thereto, directing egress liquid from each zone in said first set through a deflecting zone across the entrance of the corresponding zone in the second set, propelling a tow through each zone in said first set and then through a deflecting zone into the corresponding zone in said second set by jetting a liquid into each zone of each set, and thereafter moving said deflecting zones and directing egress liquid flowing from each zone in said first set into a common body of liquid.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,857,111 Macadam May 3, 1932 1,871,100 Walton et a1. Aug. 9, 1932 2,108,285 Forrest Feb. 15, 1938 2,131,409 Nai Sept. 27, 1938 2,313,006 Ufnowski Mar. 2, 1943 2,360,352 Lodge Oct. 17, 1944 2,444,071 Stanley a June 29, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 682,409 Great Britain Nov. 12, 1952 256,814 Switzerland Mar. 1, 1949 

7. A PROCESS FOR AFTERTREATING TOW WHICH COMPRISES PASSING A FIRST SET OF A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL LIQUID STREAMS THROUGH A FIRST SET OF SEPARATE CONFINED LIQUID TREATING ZONES, PASSING A SECOND SET OF AN EQUAL NUMBER OF SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL LIQUID STREAMS THROUGH A SECOND SET OF SEPARATE CONFINED LIQUID TREATING ZONES IN NON-AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID FIRST SET OF ZONES AND IN SUBSTANTIALLY TANDEM RELATION THERETO, DIRECTING EGRESS LIQUID 